Soaring Free

by Becca Van

  Gabe and Nic were kneeling over him trying to stem the flow of blood pouring out of the hole in his chest.

  “Call the paramedics,” Tom yelled. “She’s been shot.”

  He ripped his shirt off, wadded it up, and pressed the material against her bloody upper arm. Although he was aware of more people milling around, he only had eyes for Joni. She looked so small, fragile, and pale, but she was breathing deeply and evenly.

  “Tell her,” the older man gasped and coughed and Tom knew when blood came out of his mouth that he wasn’t going to make it. “Tell her…I’m sorry. Sick. Didn’t…know…what…I…doing.”

  “Who are you?” Gabe asked as he pressed down harder on the man’s wound.

  “Father,” he gasped out before he stopped breathing.

  Paramedics arrived and though they tried to revive him, there was nothing they could do.

  Tom watched as another medic assessed Joni and, after wrapping her arm, loaded her onto a gurney and wheeled her toward an ambulance. He raced after them, not willing to leave her until she opened her pretty blue eyes and looked at him again. He climbed in the back of the van and, after finding what hospital they were going to, yelled it out to Gabe and Nic, knowing they would be held up for a while dealing with the police.

  He sat by her head, stroking her hair out of her face, and willed her to wake up.

  The paramedic looked up at him. “She’ll be fine. It was a through shot and as far as I can tell no arteries or bone was hit.”

  Relief coursed through him that she was going to be okay, but he wouldn’t believe she was out of danger until she was smiling.

  It seemed to take forever before they reached the hospital and he rushed to the emergency room only to be told he couldn’t go in. He paced back and forth for over two hours, looking up each time the doors opened, only to be frustrated when he was ignored.

  “Tom!” Gabe called out and he looked up to see him and Nic almost running down the hall toward him.

  “How is she?” Nic asked.

  “I’m still waiting.”

  “Fuck!” Gabe spun away before turning back.

  “The paramedic said he didn’t think any arteries or bone got hit by the bullet and that she should be fine.”

  Nic grabbed onto his shoulder as if he couldn’t hold himself up anymore and then he seemed to gather himself and straightened when the double doors opened.

  “Are you here for Joni Meeks?”

  “Yes,” Tom said as he moved forward with his hand out.

  “I’m Dr. Watson.”

  Tom introduced himself and his friends.

  “Joni is going to be fine. She has some muscle damage which will leave her sore and in need of rehabilitation but she will have full use of her arm.”

  “Thank god,” Gabe muttered.

  “When can she go home?” Nic asked.

  “We’ve stitched her up and given her a shot of antibiotics and painkillers and she’ll be a bit drowsy for a few hours, but she can go home in an hour or so. We just need to make sure she doesn’t have any adverse effects to the medication.”

  “Thank you so much, doctor.” Tom shook his hand again. “Can we please see her?”

  “Sure, a nurse will be out in a few minutes to take you back. She’ll need to see her GP to get the stitches out in seven days and make sure she takes the course of antibiotics so infection doesn’t set in. I’ve written out a prescription for some pain medication and suggest you fill it at the hospital pharmacy before you leave. Other than that you’ll be good to go in about an hour.”

  “Thank you,” Gabe and Nic said before they both shook the doctor’s hand.

  Ten minutes later, a nurse came out to lead them to their woman.

  * * * *

  Joni ached from head to toe and frowned when she heard noises she’d normally hear in a hospital. She tried to remember what happened but her mind was foggy.

  “She looks so pale,” Nic said in a hoarse voice.

  Joni forced her heavy eyelids open to see Nic, Gabe, and Tom all frowning with worry.

  “Joni, how are you feeling, love?” Tom asked as he moved to the chair at her bedside and sat before taking her hand into his.

  And just like that she remembered her neighbor, Paul, holding a gun to her head. She bolted upright and cried out when her arm began to throb.

  “Shh, sweetheart. You’re safe. Lie back down.” Gabe hurried to the other side of the bed and sat on the edge.

  Tom sat near her feet and placed his hand on her shin over the blanket.

  “He shot me, didn’t he?”

  “Yes,” Tom answered.

  “What the hell were you thinking?” Nic asked angrily. “You could have been fucking killed.”

  Tears welled and trickled down her face. “I’m sorry. I just wanted to make sure none of you were hurt. I’ve only just found you.”

  “Don’t cry, love,” Tom said and glared at Nic.

  “I’m sorry, baby,” Nic apologized. “I didn’t mean to yell at you, but you scared the hell out of me.”

  “All of us,” Gabe said.

  “Did anyone get hurt?”

  Gabe looked at Nic and then glanced over at Tom. Tom frowned as if he didn’t know what was going on before meeting Gabe’s eyes again.

  “Tell me,” she ordered and tried not to moan in pain when she moved her injured arm.

  “You should be resting, sweetheart,” Gabe hedged.

  The door opened before she could reply and Detective Gary Wade walked in.

  “How are you feeling, Joni?”

  “Okay,” she lied but knew from the looks her men gave her that she would pay for that later.

  “I need to take your statement. Are you up to it?”

  Joni wasn’t feeling well at all but she just wanted it all to be over so she gritted her teeth and nodded her head. After taking a deep breath she told him what had happened.

  “Thank you. I hope you feel better soon,” Gary said and turned toward the door.

  “Wait! What happened to Paul?”

  “Uh, he died at the scene.”

  “How?” she asked. She could tell they were holding something back from her and, even though dread knotted in her stomach, she needed to know.

  Gary walked back to the bed and sighed.

  “Joni,” Nic paused and squeezed her hand.

  “Just tell me.”

  “Your father managed to escape from the mental hospital a few weeks ago. At first we thought he was the one who’d trashed your apartment. Gary and the police have been looking for him but he managed to stay hidden.”

  Joni covered her mouth as she gasped with fear.

  “You’re safe, love. We’ve got you.” Tom got up on the bed and carefully maneuvered them both until she was leaning against him and she was wrapped in his arms.

  “I don’t how he came to be there but your father saved you, baby,” Nic said.

  “He was the one who jumped Paul and fought for the gun,” Gabe explained. “He took a bullet in the chest trying to help you.”

  Joni didn’t know what to say, so she remained silent. She’d loved her dad before he left, but after he’d killed her mother she’d been so angry and full of hate she didn’t know how to feel. “He died, didn’t he?”

  “Yes, baby. I’m sorry.”

  She felt horrible because she didn’t feel anything. Maybe she was just too numb to feel, or maybe it was because the pain medication was kicking in and she was feeling a little woozy. Or maybe it was because he’d taken away something very precious from her and she just couldn’t find it in her heart to forgive him.

  Nic cleared his throat. “He said to tell you he was sorry, that he was sick and didn’t know what he was doing.”

  Joni nodded and wiped her face when she felt moisture trickle from her chin. She hadn’t even realized she was crying.

  “Are you all right, love?” Tom asked.

  “Yes,” she slurred and her eyelids began to droop. “I thought I ha
ted him, but I don’t. Life’s too short to hold in so much pain and anger. It only makes you bitter and wrecks things. I forgive you, Daddy.”

  Joni slumped against Tom with a lighter heart and knew that everything was going to be fine.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Joni was so excited, she was buzzing inside. Her men were taking her to the club tonight and she couldn’t wait.

  It had been two weeks since she’d been shot and although her arm had healed she was still going through rehab. Her men had hired another bar manager and although she’d planned to go back to work when she had the all clear from doctor she was beginning to reassess her goals. She wanted to talk to her men, but had to get things in order in her own mind before she told them what she wanted.

  Gabe was beginning to get annoyed with her because he, Nic, and Tom often caught her staring off into space while she’d tried to decide what she wanted to do with the rest of her life, careerwise. Of course, she kept telling them there was nothing wrong and changed the subject, but she could tell they weren’t going to put up with her evasiveness for much longer.

  “Are you ready, love?” Tom asked as he entered the bedroom.

  “Yes.”

  Fifteen or so minutes later, she was being led into the Club of Dominance. The sounds of sex, pain, and pleasure made her pussy clench and moisten, and her imagination went off on a tangent as she tried to imagine what they would do to her.

  “Joni, I’m glad to see you.”

  Joni looked up to see Masters Turner and Barry smiling at her with their wife sub Charlie standing between them. They had visited her at home while she’d been recuperating.

  “Thank you, sir.”

  “You’re getting the hang of it.” Charlie smiled and then rolled her eyes when Master Barry swatted her ass.

  “Do you have permission to speak, little sub?” Master Barry asked in a hard voice.

  Joni shivered but was thankful these two intimidating men weren’t her masters. They looked so cold when chastising their sub.

  “Oh, bite me.” Charlie stuck her tongue out but winked at Joni.

  “Oh, you are just racking up the punishments, sub.”

  “Goody.” Charlie smirked but then she squealed when Master Barry bent over, pushed his shoulder into Charlie’s stomach, and lifted her off her feet.

  “Enjoy your evening.” Master Turner smiled. “I know we will.”

  Joni chuckled when she realized that Charlie had been goading her Doms into punishing her and wondered if it would work for her, too.

  “Don’t even think about it,” Gabe said as he met her eyes.

  “It got her what she obviously wanted,” Joni said.

  “You don’t need to go to such drastic measures, baby. All you have to do is ask,” Nic said and waggled his eyebrows.

  “But that wouldn’t be as much fun.”

  “She’s right,” Tom said and before she could blink he lifted her from her feet and up over his shoulder.

  “Put me down.” Joni wiggled, but froze and gasped when a hard slap landed on her ass.

  “Joni, how are you doing?” Kara asked.

  Joni pressed her hands against Tom’s back and lifted her upper body slightly so she could see her friend.

  “I’m great. When are we going to do lunch again?”

  “Next Friday,” Kara nearly yelled her answer since Tom was carrying her away. “I’ll call you.”

  “Tom.”

  Smack.

  “What did you call me?” Tom asked in a hard voice and Joni knew the scene had started.

  “Sir, that was rude.”

  “I don’t care. You can talk to Kara anytime. This is our time.”

  Joni slumped over him with a happy sigh, because he was right. This was their time.

  She teetered on her feet when he lowered her to the ground, but he held her hips until she was steady before he released her and stepped back. After a quick glance, she sighed with relief when she saw they were in one of the semiprivate rooms. She just wasn’t into exhibitionism and was glad her Doms weren’t making her stand naked on that stage out in the great room.

  “Strip and kneel, sub,” Nic ordered.

  Joni quickly removed the bustier and short skirt before placing them neatly over a chair and nudged her shoes beneath it.

  “Good girl.” Nic moved behind her and caressed her skin from the top of her shoulders to her ass. He paused and kneaded her buttocks before swatting her lightly. “Get up on the table on your back, baby.”

  She hurried to do his bidding, surreptitiously trying to see what Gabe and Tom were up to. She bit her tongue to hold in a moan of desire when Nic slapped her thigh. “Eyes down, sub.”

  With a sigh, she lowered her eyes, still trying to peek, but she couldn’t see anything. Then her eyes were covered with a blindfold and all her other senses ramped up. She could hear her own blood rushing through her veins near her ears and it felt like her whole body was moving with every beat of her heart. Goose bumps rose up on her flesh, her nipples hardened, and her cunt throbbed.

  “Someone’s excited,” Gabe said and then hands were brushing against her legs as they were restrained.

  She shivered when Nic caressed her inner wrists as he tethered them and then sighed when his lips met hers. She melted into the padded table beneath her as her hunger for her men grew.

  “Have you ever heard of wax play, baby?” Nic asked after he released her lips.

  “N–no, sir,” she answered tentatively.

  “You have nothing to be scared of, sub,” Tom said, his voice close.

  “Do you trust us, Joni?” Gabe asked.

  “Yes, sir,” she answered immediately and sincerely.

  “Good girl,” Nic praised. “Just remember to use your safe words if you need to.”

  Warm, moist hands landed on her shoulders and began to caress all over her body. She couldn’t help but moan when they ran over her breasts, kneading and cupping the globes. She whimpered when her nipples were squeezed and plucked and smiled when she heard Gabe chuckle. More hands touched her hips and she groaned as they smoothed all over her lower abdomen, wishing they would go lower where she was aching to be touched.

  “We’re coating your skin in oil, love,” Tom explained. “This will make it easier to get the dried wax off later.”

  “Hmm,” she hummed and luxuriated in the sensation of their touch.

  She was so hungry for them, but wasn’t sure she would have them all loving her tonight. She needed them all so badly but kept her mouth shut in case she racked up any punishments. One thing Joni had learned about herself with these men was she hated to disappoint them. She liked it when they were happy with her and complimented her for her good behavior. If anyone had told her three months ago she would be laying her throat bare to three men, she would have laughed in their face. But the truth was she felt so fulfilled and free when they were controlling her body and she loved every minute of it.

  “Are you ready, love?” Tom asked.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Such a polite response,” Nic said. “We love how courteous you are, baby.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  “My pleasure, Joni.” Nic’s hands cupped her breasts and tweaked her aching nipples in reward and she couldn’t contain her whimper of need.

  “Soon, sweetheart,” Gabe said. “Once we’ve finished with this scene, we’re all going to love you like you’ve never been loved before.”

  Joni remained silent since she wasn’t supposed to say anything unless she was asked a direct question but she wanted to beg them to love her now.

  She gasped when hot wax landed on her stomach and although it was very warm, it didn’t burn her skin. With each drop of melted wax on her body, she seemed to relax more and more until she felt like she was floating on a cloud.

  All her senses were heightened and she knew where each of her Doms were by scent alone. She didn’t need her eyes to know that Nic was standing on her right side dripping wax
on that half of her body, or that Gabe was standing to her left doing the same.

  Tom was standing near her feet and drizzling hot wax up and down her spread legs and the higher he got the more her clit throbbed, her pussy clenched, and cream wept from her cunt. She wanted to arch her hips up in silent supplication for the next touch but didn’t want them to stop so she remained still.

  Although her body was relaxed, she was hyperaware of everything and could smell the musky scent of her men’s arousal and the paraffin in the unscented candles. Joni moaned when wax was dripped onto her breasts and she willed Nic and Gabe to move that heat to her nipples.

  But they seemed intent on teasing her, keeping her on edge with the anticipation and excitement of not knowing where the wax would land next. Her whole body quivered with need when Tom drizzled the warm stuff on her totally nude mound—Gabe had ordered her to remain hair free for all of their pleasure and she was so glad she had complied—and she couldn’t help but try to bow her hips up.

  And then she cried out when a slap landed on her pussy right over her swollen, needy clit. The sting made her gasp and juices leaked from her cunt as it clenched, but it wasn’t enough to send her over. That slap had just seemed to ramp up her hunger that much more and it took her a couple of moments to notice she was sobbing form the pleasurable pain.

  “Don’t move again, little sub, or everything will stop. Do you understand?” Tom asked in such a cold voice tears burned her eyes at disappointing him.

  “Yes, sir.” Her reply was almost incomprehensible. Her tongue felt like it was moving too slow and almost cleaving to the roof of her mouth. But she was in awe of the breathy quality of her voice because she sounded almost like she was in a dreamy trance.

  And then she realized that was exactly what she was experiencing. She was super attuned to everything her Doms were doing, but so relaxed she felt like she was floating. Her men had done what she thought of as the impossible. They had sent her into subspace. As that knowledge floated across her mind she recalled being here once before, when they had broken down the armor around her heart and gotten them to talk about her father.

  And then all thought fled.

  Another moan left her mouth when the hot wax plopped onto both nipples simultaneously and she whimpered as Tom licked her cunt from her ass to her clit and back again. It felt like cream was almost pouring out of her in such copious amounts, it made her womb ache. But it wasn’t a bad pain. It was so good she wanted to be filled in every hole just like she’d imagined her men doing time and again.